


Welcome Home

by noblesparrow



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Caretaking, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kanan Jarrus Needs a Hug, Post-Episode: s01e15 Fire Across the Galaxy, Recovery, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:34:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28119990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblesparrow/pseuds/noblesparrow
Summary: After rescuing Kanan from the Empire's torture, the team is home on the Ghost. The excitement's gone now, but so is Kanan's strength.
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	Welcome Home

“One chapter has closed for you, Ezra Bridger,” Ahsoka says with a soft smile, “this is a new day.”

“Thank you for your help,” Hera says, “I don’t know what we would have done without all of you.”

“Thank your droid,” Ahsoka says, putting a hand on Chopper, “he called us and led us to you.”

“We better not. It’ll go to his head,” Zeb grumbles, rolling his eyes.

Chopper waves his arms and grumbles at Zeb. Ahsoka puts her hands on her hips.

“Where will you go?” she asks.

“We don’t know yet,” Hera answers, shrugging her shoulders, “we haven’t had time to even think about it.”

“I would suggest not returning to Lothal. At least not for a while. They’ll be looking for you.”

Hera and Ahsoka continue back and forth to decide where the team should go, but their voices become muffled in Kanan’s ears. He blinks and is hit with a weightless feeling before Zeb puts his hand on Kanan’s back.

“Kanan, you alright?” Zeb asks, straightening Kanan up again.

Kanan blinks to try and clear his head. Hera turns around.

“Kanan?”

Kanan looks at her, his eyes a little dazed and confused. Hera knits her brow.

“Kanan, what’s wrong?” She asks, a little more sternly.

“I think I…” He wobbles on his feet as his balance begins to fail.

“Put him on the ground!” Hera orders.

Hera and Zeb each grab an arm and lower him to the ground, his back leaning against the wall. He sits with one knee drawn up and his hands on the ground on either side of him. He knits his brow and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment. His face winces with discomfort as his body begins to shake. Zeb, Hera, Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka kneel around him. Zeb looks at Ezra.

“I thought you said he was fine!”

“He was!” Ezra exclaims defensively, “I mean, he was leaning on me some, but he defeated the Inquisitor by himself!”

Hera thinks for a moment. Then she understands.

“It was an adrenaline rush.”

“And now he’s crashing,” Sabine finishes.

“Ezra, where was he when you found him?” Hera asks.

“He was in a cell strapped to one of those table things. Where you’re kind of standing up like this,” Ezra explains, demonstrating with his arm.

“Oh no,” Hera says.

"They tortured him..." Sabine whispers

Hera pushes this out of her mind for the moment and gently turns Kanan’s face towards her.

“How long has it been since you slept?”

He looks down and thinks. His body still shivers. As he thinks, Hera presses her lips together and shakes her head.

“You shouldn’t have to think that hard about it. Zeb, can you help me get him up to his room?”

“Yeah,” he nods, grabbing Kanan’s arm.

“Do you need our medical staff to look him over?” Ahsoka asks.

“I don’t think so,” Hera says, glancing at Kanan, “I think he just needs rest."

Ahsoka nods.

“If he gets worse, call the command ship,” Ahsoka says, “we’ll send someone over.”

“Thank you, Ahsoka.”

“I’ll leave you to handle this,” Ahsoka says, standing up, “I’ll see you soon.”

Then she leaves the Ghost, the doors sliding shut behind her.

Hera takes Kanan’s other arm.

“Alright, Kanan, stand up.”

Zeb and Hera pull Kanan up. He slides his back up the wall. He stops at the top and breathes for a moment.

“We’ll help you up the ladder,” Hera assures him.

He nods, but when he takes a step forward, his legs give out and he nearly hits the floor. Zeb grabs him.

“I’ll just carry him,” he says, putting Kanan over his shoulder.

Hera, Sabine, and Ezra race ahead of him up the ladder. They run to Kanan’s room. Sabine and Ezra find themselves only standing in the doorway as Hera gets the bed ready.

“Is there anything we can do?” Sabine asks.

“I don’t think so,” Hera answers, turning to face them, “I’ll get him settled, and then we just need to leave him alone.”

“Comin’ through,” Zeb says.

Sabine and Ezra move out of the doorway and Zeb carries Kanan inside. He sits Kanan on the edge of the bottom bunk and steps back for Hera to move in. Kanan puts a shaking hand on Hera’s waist and leans into her. Zeb scratches behind his head.

“Do you need anything else from us?” He asks.

“I don’t think so. If we need something, I’ll call,” she answers.

He nods and the three others leave the room, closing the door behind them. Hera looks down at Kanan. She cups his face in her hands and tilts his head up to face her.

“What do you need, Love?”

He looks at her with half-open eyes.

“Sleep.”

“I think we can make that happen,” she smiles.

She reaches around him to unbuckle his shoulder armor in the back. He wraps one arm around her waist and leans into her stomach while she does. Then she works to slide the armor off his arm. She puts it on the floor and looks down at him as his arm slips off of her.

“Can you handle your boots?”

He nods and lazily leans over to take them off. Hera walks to one of the compartments to the side of the bed to get a blanket and pillow. When he has the boots off, he kicks them lightly to the side and rests his arms on his knees. Hera puts the pillow in the bunk and places the folded blanket beside it. She kneels in front of Kanan holding his hands. She sighs with sympathy when she sees his shoulders shiver.

“What did they do to you?” She asks.

“Um… mind probes… the Inquisitor tried to use the force to search my mind, unsuccessfully,” he adds with a weak smile. It fades. “And electrocution.”

Hera closes her eyes for a moment. She shakes her head and looks at him.

“I’m so sorry.”

“I knew what I was doing when I sent the kids in the elevator,” he smiles. Hera can tell the smile is forced for her sake, but she appreciates it all the same. She rises to her knees and wraps her arms around him. He leans into her and hugs her back. She holds him, trying to ignore his shaking limbs. She rubs his back gently. She smiles to herself when she notices the shaking stop.

“Alright, Kanan, time to sleep.”

She tries to push him up, but he is limp. His head rests heavily on her shoulder.

“Kanan.”

He jumps. Hera laughs quietly, pushing him off of her.

“Time to sleep, dear.”

Hera lifts his legs up on the bunk as he falls onto his side with his face half-submerged in the pillow and his eyes closed. She takes the blanket and drapes it over him. She leans over him, gently rubbing his shoulder.

“If you need anything, call us on the comlink, okay?”

He does not respond. He lays still. His breathing is soft. Hera smiles down at him as he sleeps. She leans down and lightly kisses his temple.

“Sleep well, Love.”

She quietly walks to the door and slips out to let Kanan sleep in peace.


End file.
